Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 171 (426): [Zongsheng Academy, the Sound of Heaven and Earth]
(171st of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
*********************************
The consecutive deaths of two Transcendents sent shockwaves through the realms.
Transcendents were revered as Ancestors in any faction.
Even during the unprecedented Transcendental war two years prior, which shook the Lingxiao Realm to its core, only two or three Transcendents had fallen on each side.
Yet today, the Coffin Mountain's Forbidden One and the Sacred Dark Family's Transcendent were utterly helpless against Zen Hai Guanwu.
The Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom couldn't even intervene in time.
Coffin Mountain, a deathly zone between Coffin Prefecture and the Nether Realm of the Dead, was perpetually shrouded in mystery, its Forbidden One hidden from sight.
No one dared provoke it.
Zuoqiu Xuanming, the Southern Territory's foremost figure, had repeatedly attempted to infiltrate Coffin Mountain, yet failed to uncover its location, leaving him hesitant to act rashly.
Without absolute certainty of locating and eliminating the Coffin Mountain's Forbidden One, Xu Fodu, and An Xianjing, the combined retaliation from the Transcendents and Great Immortal would inflict unbearable losses on the Zuoqiu Sect.
For centuries, the Zuoqiu Sect's rivals had eagerly provided clandestine support to Coffin Mountain, hoping to weaken their adversary.
In essence, eliminating a Transcendent was a task as arduous as ascending to the heavens.
Martial-Mystic cultivators at each level had their own means of survival, their own spheres of influence, and their own deterrent capabilities.
The interests and safety of all factions were intertwined, not simply a one-on-one dynamic, but a delicate balance where the slightest disturbance could shake the entire system.
Today, that balance began to crumble, starting with Lingxiao City.
"Everyone, let's move out of the city and confront the Mist Celestial!"
The Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom noticed Zen Hai Guanwu's psychic power straining to support the crumbling formation.
With a solemn expression, he summoned three Immortal Gates and unleashed a surge of four-colored light from his armor, charging forward to buy time for the others to escape the city.
No matter how powerful Zen Hai Guanwu was, he felt no fear, his battle intent burning fiercely, his faith in the Martial-Mystic Dao unwavering.
For a Martial-Mystic Cultivator, essence, energy, and spirit were paramount.
One must possess the indomitable will to crush any obstacle in their path.
By slaying Zen Hai Guanwu, his spiritual aura would reach unprecedented heights, allowing him to channel this momentum to break through to the realm of the Martial-Mystic Dao Heavenly Emperor.
At the forefront, Lord Lan steered the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship, leading the charge toward the gaping hole in the formation directly above Phoenix Terrace.
Though the city's formation had been severely damaged by Xianmin, Zen Hai Guanwu's formidable psychic power, amplified by the remnants of the formation, still posed a terrifying threat.
Only by leaving the city could they shed this disadvantage.
Madam Ye stopped playing the zither, steered her carriage, and, enveloped in a sea of characters, surged skyward, the air boiling in her wake.
"Within the city, the Mist Celestial has the Formation and the support of all the Martial-Mystic Cultivators. Even if we kill her, the cost will be immense. But beyond the city walls, Lord Lan and I will no longer be constrained, while she will fight alone. With this shift in power, we can reduce the former Ancient Heavenly Emperor to withered bones, her soul scattered, in less than an hour."
"Ye Qing, the Zongsheng Academy is far from Lingxiao, and the journey is arduous. You shall be buried in the Lingxiao Realm!"
Zen Hai Guanwu's voice echoed from above the sea of characters.
The carriage curtains fluttered in the wind.
Inside sat a woman in her thirties, regal and elegant, her brow adorned with a painted diadem.
An ancient zither rested on her lap as she calmly gazed upward at Zen Hai Guanwu, who had broken free from the Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom's control.
She and Zen Hai Guanwu were Heaven's Chosen Daughters of the same era.
The fact that Zen Hai Guanwu remembered her name spoke volumes about her extraordinary talent in her youth - she had been among the most elite figures of Yingzhou's vast continent.
"If you had said this a thousand years ago, I would have believed you! But in your current state, Lord Lan and I could defeat you together. Three of us could kill you, and four could slay you without suffering a scratch."
"Zen Hai Guanwu, do not dwell on past glories. Misjudging your opponent's strength leaves you a chance to survive. Misjudging your own strength guarantees a death without burial."
Madam Ye's Spirit Realm between her eyebrows expanded, causing the space to tremble violently.
A vast ocean of Spiritual Light and Starlight materialized before her, as boundless as the cosmic void and as radiant as an Immortal's sea.
"The Voice of Heaven and Earth, where sovereign and subject resonate in harmony."
Her fingers simultaneously plucked five strings of her zither.
The five forces - Sovereign, Subject, People, Affairs, and Things - erupted from the strings in a torrent of power.
Though the Third Palace Master was a top ten powerhouse in the Lingxiao Realm, Madam Ye, empowered by the Phoenix Terrace Formation, had completely suppressed her, preventing her from activating the Nine Heavens Beyond the Clouds Grand Formation.
This demonstrated the terrifying potency of Madam Ye's Psychic Power.
The Five-Stringed Sounds of Heaven and Earth Harmony struck with unstoppable force, shattering Zen Hai Guanwu's Nether River Sword Qi.
The crimson-robed figure exploded into a Blood Mist, leaving behind only a skeleton.
Even the Void Sword was sent flying.
"Damn it! That wasn't her true form - it was an illusion! I've been psychically attacked and manipulated by her!"
Madam Ye's expression twisted as she recalled the characters floating in the air and absorbed them into her eyes.
Only then did she realize that Zen Hai Guanwu was engaged in battle with the Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom and Xianmin.
The Five-Stringed Sounds of Heaven and Earth Harmony she had unleashed had struck the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship above, breaching its defenses and leaving five deep, scorching marks.
Lord Lan stood at the bow of the warship, his expression grave.
Madam Ye's sudden attack had made him suspect treachery within their ranks.
Below, the Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom unleashed three Immortal Gates, clashing violently with the Thunderstrike Jade as he retreated steadily toward the Phoenix Terrace.
The Supreme Artifact, now fully activated, radiated overwhelming power.
Only the mystical nature of the three Immortal Gates and the Crown Prince's formidable cultivation allowed them to barely withstand its onslaught.
Even then, Zen Hai Guanwu was distracted by the Transcendents, preventing her from fully concentrating on controlling the artifact.
The Second Palace Master knew she had no retreat. Her only path to survival lay in slaying Zen Hai Guanwu and seizing the Other Shore Heavenly Pill.
She channeled all her energy into activating the Phoenix Terrace Formation. Myriad formation glyphs surged across the sky, pressing down on Zen Hai Guanwu, seeking to bind the Thunderstrike Jade.
As the foremost expert in the Lingxiao Realm beneath Yu Yaozi, her combat prowess was extraordinary.
Zen Hai Guanwu cast a cold glance toward the Phoenix Terrace before stepping across space, appearing above the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship.
Seizing the brief opportunity created by Madam Ye's breach of the warship's defenses, she unleashed her full power, unleashing the Eight Slashes of the Nether River downward.
Behind her, the towering phantom of Nether City flickered briefly before vanishing.
Sword qi cascaded like a waterfall from the Nether River, plunging through the heavens.
Faced with this sword technique that had once slain a Heavenly Emperor, Lord Lan felt immense pressure.
He braced himself, raising the Yellow Mud Lamp: "Divine Lamp illuminates the Sea of Corpses!"
A dim yellow light blanketed the vast expanse of empty space.
Within this ethereal glow, an endless Sea of Corpses materialized, shrouding the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain like a spectral realm.
"Whoosh!"
Nether River Sword Qi pierced through the lamp's light, causing entire sections of the Sea of Corpses to collapse into nothingness.
Lord Lan, unwilling to risk contact with the Void Sword, immediately abandoned the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship - a treasure of immense value - and activated his Escape Technique, tearing through the sky.
Once unleashed, the Eight Slashes of the Nether River became an invincible sword technique, beyond the power of any single individual to withstand.
Even Lord Lan, a regional overlord who ruled over dozens of provinces within the Netherrealm, stood no chance.
The Zen Hai Guanwu descended onto the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship, piloting it into a dive toward Madam Ye below.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the Crimson Phoenix and Li Longshu fleeing upward through a hole in the formation.
She ignored them.
Madam Ye's composure had shifted slightly, losing its earlier serenity. She once again invoked the Five-Stringed Sounds of Heaven and Earth Harmony, the five strings of her zither warping the very fabric of space around her.
The Hundred Hells Wind Chime flew from atop the Zen Hai Guanwu's head.
Fueled by both Buddhist radiance and azure-black Spiritual Qi, its chimes rang out with deafening intensity, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently.
Madam Ye's fingers, gripping the five zither strings, were trembling violently, drawing blood. Her psychic power surged chaotically within her.
She dared not release her grip.
If she did, in her weakened state, the zither's power would first severely injure her.
This was the agony of psychic power clashes - the weaker party suppressed invisibly, their techniques rendered useless.
Crimson Phoenix and Li Longshu, having fled halfway, saw Zen Hai Guanwu fully engaged with Madam Ye.
Seizing the rare opportunity, they exchanged a glance.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Each unleashed their strongest Battle Technique, pivoting back into the fray.
"No matter how strong she is, she's still just one person. One strike could cripple her."
Li Longshu's Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree transformed into a towering Earth Demon Pine, its colossal form radiating the combined power of seven spiritual artifacts.
Like seven suspended Starlight, it crashed down upon Zen Hai Guanwu.
"Heavenly Emperor's Phoenix Flame!"
Crimson Phoenix spat forth Southern Brightfire.
The fire coalesced into a hundred-zhang-wide river of flame, surging relentlessly toward Zen Hai Guanwu.
Within this fiery torrent lay a wisp of the Flying Phoenix's Heavenly Emperor's Phoenix Flame, capable of incinerating any living being below the Martial-Mystic Dao Heavenly Emperor.
Zen Hai Guanwu turned her head.
Within her Ancestral Field, two Other Shore Heavenly Pills spun rapidly as she unleashed a boundless Nether River with a single sword strike.
The Nether River Sword Qi, with its overwhelming force, cleaved through the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree, shattering its branches and rotting its trunk.
Three of the seven spiritual artifacts exploded, while the remaining four soared beyond the heavens, plummeting hundreds of miles away onto the Immortal Plain.
"Boom!"
The Nether River struck Li Longshu, who screamed as his body erupted into a cloud of blood mist.
All his protective treasures shattered.
Half his body was reduced to bone as he was flung through the tattered City-Protecting Formation's light barrier, crashing outside the city walls.
He lay motionless, his fate uncertain.
A powerful Transcendent who had lived for two to three thousand years, capable of founding a Sect and establishing a legacy, had fallen before a single slash of the Nether River.
Zen Hai Guanwu decisively abandoned her attack on Madam Ye and flew toward the Crimson Phoenix.
Spiritual Light Flame erupted from the Mind Realm between her eyebrows, colliding with the surging Southern Brightfire in a fiery clash as she rapidly closed the distance to the Crimson Phoenix.
"A single breath of Heavenly Emperor's Phoenix Flame is insufficient."
Seeing Zen Hai Guanwu completely disregard both the Southern Brightfire and the Heavenly Emperor's Phoenix Flame, the Crimson Phoenix's expression twisted in alarm.
He spread his wings, attempting to exploit his superior speed to escape.
Zen Hai Guanwu attacked Li Longshu and the Crimson Phoenix.
Sensing the pressure of her Psychic Power easing, Madam Ye immediately unleashed the Five Strings.
"Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Five layers of string-patterned light waves shattered all energy between her and Zen Hai Guanwu, chasing after the retreating figure.
Even the Yellow Mud Colossal Warship was sent flying by the string-patterned light waves.
Zen Hai Guanwu's long hair danced wildly as her killing intent surged.
Activating the Hundred Hells Wind Chime, she prepared to withstand the pursuing attack.
She caught up to the Crimson Phoenix and, with a burst of Spiritual Light Flame from the Spirit Realm between her eyebrows, incinerated the creature, reducing it to a screaming, charred husk.
The Crimson Phoenix desperately mobilized over ten thousand spiritual artifacts to defend itself, but they instantly melted into golden droplets, transforming into a golden rain.
Its body rapidly expanded, transforming into its massive Luan Bird form.
Under the relentless burning of Zen Hai Guanwu's brow flame, within mere breaths, its feathers were consumed, and its body collapsed into a blackened mountain, plummeting from the sky, its soul spirit utterly annihilated.
Another Transcendent had fallen!
The legend of the Five Luan had endured for millennia.
From this day forward, the legend of the Five Luan became a relic of the past.
The Demon Race was now reduced to four Luan Birds.
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
************************************